Photo credit: dansays
Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals just gave a great presentation at SXSW about their new book, REWORK.
REWORK is a short, snappy and refreshing look at the fundamentals of business. Jason advocates a return to the basics. Don’t be a startup entrepreneur, instead, start a business. Make money from the start.
When starting out:
- remember that all planning is guesswork; accept it and don’t stress about getting it all right on day one
- focus on doing a great job, not on growth for growth’s sake. Your business will find the right size, which means it may not become a billion dollar enterprise oneday.
- stand for something and have a point of view. By doing so decision-making becomes much easier.
- create the type of company where people believe your apology (and when you do have to apologise, be real)
- what is the core of your product (if you run a hot dog stand your core product is the hot dog itself)
- say no to more things than you say yes to. e.g. The key to a great museum is the stuff that’s been left out.
When you are up and running:
- what is the sawdust of your product? (The byproduct) Can you use your knowledge, or some other spin-off to write a book, start a must-see blog or speak at conferences. (to generate additional sales revenue!)
- don’t obsess on your competitors. Just stay focused on building a great product of your own.
On the day to day issues:
- let people work without interruption. Collaboration is not the same as interruption!
- don’t limit yourself geographically when hiring. Choose the best people for the job, regardless of their location
Finally, on productivity:
“Long lists are worse than no lists at all”.
I like that last one a lot.
You can buy Jason Fried’s book, REWORK on Amazon.
